Monrovia – At least 20 political parties risked being barred from participating in the October elections, should the National Elections Commission (NEC) find probable cause to grant the petition of Cllr. Lavela Koboi Johnson, Sr.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
Cllr. Johnson has filed a petition to bar the parties from participating in the presidential and legislative elections due to alleged violation of the elections law as amended and published in December 2014.
“Petitioner says the respondents are in gross violation of the Elections Laws as amended December 15, 2014, having neglected, failed and refused to meet the minimum requirements as mandated by law; by not fielding Representative Candidates for at least half of the constituencies for the scheduled October 2017 Elections in their respective submission to the National Elections Commission; and must therefore suffer the consequences of having their respective listing of candidates officially rejected and be barred from participating in the upcoming 2017 October Presidential and Legislative Election,” he stated in the petition.
His contention arose from Section 4.5 (1) and (1a) of the elections law which states – “Any political party which has been registered by the Commission shall send to the Commission list of candidates who will stand for election to the several elective offices in several constituencies.
The list of candidates sent by a political party to the Commission must for an Election must include a candidate for at least half of all the constituencies in the election (4.5 1a).”
Cllr. Johnson argued that by the directive of the elections law, political parties must present a list of not less than 37 candidates for constituencies which is half of the 73 constituencies currently.
“Petitioner complains and says that final listing of candidates as published by on the 31st of July 2017 by the National Elections Commission shows and confirms the below political parties to be in gross violation of Section 4.5 1(a) of the amended Elections Law of 2014; having respectively submitted a listing of candidates far below the mandated minimum and mandated by law,” he contended.
The embattled political parties and number of candidates they fielded are:
- Vision for Liberia Transformation (VOLT) – 27 candidates
- Liberian National Union (LINU) – 25 candidates
- Redemption Democratic Congress (RDC) – 13 candidates
- True Whig Party (TWP) – 30 candidates
- Victory for Change Party (VCP) – 22 candidates
- Liberians for Prosperity (LFP) – 2 candidates
- Change Democratic Alliance (CDA) – 14 candidates
- Democratic Justice Party (DJP) – 15 candidates
- Grassroot Democratic Party of Liberia (GDPL) – 27 candidates
- Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) – 36 candidates
- New Liberia Party (NLP) – 5 candidates
He contended that the parties failure to meet the threshold as required by law, they should be automatically barred from participating in the upcoming elections.
“For allowing them to would suggest that the elections are illegal, and therefore void and not binding on the citizens of this Republic for denying them representations as is required by Section 4.5(1a) of the amended Elections Law…”
He noted that the October elections are not special elections where flexibility would be anticipated and contemplated by NEC and all stakeholders.
“NEC must scrupulously enforce all of its laws and other governing laws that were made for the purposes of the conduct of our elections in the Republic.”
It can be recalled in June this year the NEC certificated four new political parties bringing the total number of registered political parties to 26.
Liberia Restoration Party, Redemption Democratic Congress, Liberia for Prosperity Party and Democratic for Justice Party are the newest full flex political parties.
NEC Chairman, Cllr. Jerome Korkoyah urged the newly certificated parties to operate within the confines of the law.
Cllr. Korkoyah said the multiplicity of political parties in Liberia’s body politics is a practice of constitutional democracy.
Liberia Restoration Party Chairman, Rev. Jornah Woiwor, said LRP will win this year’s elections to redeem the nation.
Liberia Restoration Party is an out shoot of Liberia Restoration to Christian Heritage, a group that was pushing proposition 24 to make Liberia a Christian State.